Romance in Odyssey

I've been hesitant to do a post on this for a number of reasons. First, many Odyssey fans have heavily discussed this topic already. Second, I didn't want to drive any readers away because our opinions differ. Third, romance is such an overused topic in society that I didn't want to drag it into AIO. 

Then I disregarded these reasons. 

Odyssey has often had romance in it. Let's go through the timeline. I might miss some episodes so forgive me. I'm trying my best. But the majority of these are my favorites. Is it a coincidence that they all have to do with love? 

*Feb. 13, 1988- Bobby's Valentine. This episode was made in the "classic" era of Odyssey. This is under Odyssey USA. Vintage. Anyway, the episode is about a kid dealing with an unwanted crush from a girl. After a number of amusing mishaps, in typical 80s sitcom form, he consults Whit for advice about girls and crushes. It's an ordinary episode but I'm including it in the timeline because it is about romance. 

*April 27, 1990- First Love. This episode was one of the first mature Odyssey episodes. It started off lightly. Connie met a guy named Jeff, they became friends, and eventually started dating. To spend more time with him, Connie starts skipping out on church and Bible studies. Connie's friend, Cheryl, is the first to question Connie about this behavior. Then, Whit talks to Connie. He explains the dangers of a Christian dating a non-Christian. Connie makes the difficult decision of breaking up with Jeff. To me, this episode is an important one for everybody to listen to. Every Christian, regardless of age, needs to understand the lesson emphasized in this episode. 

*January 4, 1994- Truth, Trivia, and 'Trina. This is the episode where Eugene meets Katrina! A monumental episode. They met in a library. Isn't that adorable? Eugene and Katrina had instant chemistry and the listener could automatically tell how good she was for Eugene. This is an important episode for two reasons. First, this episode introduced Eugene's future wife. Second, this episode introduced a woman who Eugene didn't need to impress with his intelligence. Besides the people at Whit's End, not many were able to look past Eugene's intelligence and focus on his personality. This episode made the foundation for Eugene and Katrina's story. 

*May 1, 1994- It Began With a Rabbit's Foot and Ended with a Handshake. This is a vital part to the Eugene and Katrina Saga. In these episodes, Katrina became a Christian, Katrina found out about Eugene's feelings for her, in a panic, Eugene told Katrina that he just wanted to be friends, and (in a horrible twist of irony) we found out that Katrina had some feelings for Eugene but decided to stay quiet about them. It's an excellent episode and one of the last where we hear Hal Smith. 

*July 8, 1995- The Turning Point. This is a killer of an episode. It's another in the Eugene and Katrina Saga. Not to mention, Jack is in the picture while Whit is off in Israel. In the episode, Katrina's father visits. Eugene panics and wants to make a good impression. He doesn't. But what concerns Katrina's father is how her "friendship" with Eugene is affecting her. Katrina wants to date Eugene but she can't because he isn't a Christian. Katrina's father suggests that she move back to Chicago so she can take a break from Eugene. She moves back to Chicago. The goodbye scene between Eugene and Katrina is heartbreaking. 

*October 28, 1995- Love is in the Air 1&2. This two parter is for sure on my Top Ten list. A lot happens in this episode. We meet up with Tasha again. She comes to Odyssey to visit Jason. ( Tasha is a NSA agent and she's a good friend of Jason's. We also know that they are kinda in love with each other) In addition to this, Katrina comes back to town which causes Eugene to panic. After a cringe-worthy scene where Connie and Eugene are caught hugging and then Eugene blurting out that Connie has a crush on Jason, Eugene and Katrina finally have a talk about their relationship. On the other side of town, Jason proposes to Tasha. Naturally, there's drama and it finishes out with a romantic race to the airport. I adore this episode. Jason and Tasha are my favorite Odyssey couple and I love seeing any kind of Eugene and Katrina action. 

*May 4, 1996- A Question About Tasha. This is another one on my Top Ten list. As I said, Jason and Tasha are favorite couple. Sadly, they weren't in many episodes together. This is an episode where they were the complete focus. In this episode, Jason and Tasha decided to get married tomorrow. Connie helps Tasha make the arrangements but Jack is the only one not excited. Jack asks Jason if Tasha is a Christian. Jason can't give a definite answer so he and Jack get into fight. Jack refuses to be at the wedding and Jason storms out of the shop. He takes Tasha and they go to elope while Jack tells Connie about how his late wife wasn't a Christian. Jason and Tasha talk about her faith and their future. This causes Jason to realize that he needs to marry a Christian. He and Tasha postpone their wedding. This episode is so good because it teaches a really good lesson about marriage that a lot of people don't understand. A Christian marrying a non-Christian will guarantee a future filled with hurt and conflict. The writing in this episode is phenomonal and the acting is amazing. The end scene with Jason and Tasha is bittersweet and touching. Yet as much as I loved that end scene, Jack stole the episode when he talked to Connie about his wife. It was so moving. It actually brings a rare tear to my eye. Just thinking about is getting me a bit emotional. 

*September 6, 1997- For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll 1&2&3. Another one of my favorites! (Sensing a theme?) This is a classic. Somebody is getting married! It's either Eugene and Katrina, Jack and Joanne, or Whit and Margaret Faye. The majority of the story is told in flashback and it is told by Connie to Jason on the way back from the airport. First of all, it's a hilarious episode. Secondly, the whole Odyssey crew is in it. Whit, Connie, Eugene, Tom, Bernard, Jack, Jason, and Katrina. Thirdly, it features the brilliant chemistry between Connie and Jason. And lastly, we get to see more interaction between our favorite couple, Eugene and Katrina! I'm not going to even attempt to summarize the episode. Just listen to it. I highly recommend it. 

*April 9, 2001- The Triangle 1&2. My favorites list is a bit long but this one is for sure on it. It dealt with a line that Jack mentioned in "For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll". He implied that he dated Jenny (Whit's late wife) before Whit "stole" her. Eventually, the fans got this two parter to answer their questions about that line. This two parter is all about how Whit met Jenny and how she was Jack's girlfriend. We even get to briefly meet Jack's first wife, Emily. This is a well written episode that deals with love and heartbreak. Good acting all around. I loved the chemistry between young Whit, Jack, and Jenny. Excellent episode. 

*February 10, 2007- Prequels of Love. In this episode, Bernard and Bart Rathbone tell the story of how they met their wives and Whit talks about how he proposed to Jenny. This a hysterical episode that is filled with some very sweet moments. If you like jokes about chicken suits, emergency rooms, phone scams, and psychology, then this is the perfect episode for you. 

I know that there were probably several episodes that I missed but these were the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Not to mention, most of these are my favorites. 

Odyssey has always handled romance well. Not all Odyssey fans may be concerned with love and marriage but by listening to these episodes, they now have a good foundation for their future relationships. That's really the greatest part of AIO. They provide a great foundation for understanding the Bible, people, romantic relationships, and life. This is just one of the many reasons to listen to Adventures in Odyssey. 

(By the way, don't ask about the weird, big font in the beginning. I have tried everything to fix it but it refuses to cooperate)

Album 57

For those of you who don't know this, Odyssey has different seasons. There's a fall season and a spring season. But, when episodes from album 56 were airing in the fall, we were told that album 57 wouldn't come out at the expected time of spring 2013 but fall 2013. Needless to say, nobody was happy to hear this news.

If you look on the message boards, you will see there has been a lot of speculation about Album 57. The two main message boards I frequent are ToO and the Soda Shop. On both sites, there are threads about Album 57 that are pages and pages long. This speculation has been going on since December and will probably keep going until the fall. Let me tell you, there have been some interesting theories flying around the Internet. 99% of these theories are about the mysterious three parter called "Life Expectancies". Let me try and list all the ones I have come across. 

                              -Bill Kendall is dying

                              -Bill Kendall introduces a new half sister or step sister to Connie

                              -June Kendall is dying so Bill Kendall moves to Odyssey to be there for Connie

                              -Connie is pregnant 

                              -Connie is meeting Bill's new girlfriend Jules

                             -Connie has some kind of hereditary disease

                             -Jules is Connie's twin

                             -Connie gets engaged.

                            -Katrina finds out she's pregnant in the episode "Your Servant Is Listening"

In short, nobody has any clue what album 57 will be about. 

The Odyssey team has done an excellent job of keeping this album under wraps. Nobody knows anything. All we know is that it features the Get In The Show contest winner Shona and the voice of Bill Kendall. For some reason, nobody can make the connection between these two hints. 

The reason all these crazy theories are flying around is because we're all so anxious for new episodes. What else are the fans going to do? The AIO team pushed back the release date for the album! Any writer or producer knows how risky of a move that is. Fans either get anxious or annoyed. 

I have some speculations about Album 57 but I'm not going to share them. That would fan the proverbial fire, right? 

Besides, the speculations don't matter to me. All that matters is that I'm psyched for Album 57. Bill Kendall's return, the Biblical episode about Samuel, and the mysterious episode called "Life Expectancies" give me high expectations for this upcoming season. I'm sure all Odyssey fans share my feelings. We can't wait for October. 

The Best Era? There Is No Right Answer.

I don't know that many Odyssey fans and the ones I do know think that I only mildly enjoy the show. They don't realize how deep my love goes... it's probably best they don't. I'm a very serious and mature person in real life and I don't want them to know that I'm this secret fangirl.

I'd like to keep that part of my personality under wraps

Anyway, the point is that I don't talk with many people about favorite episodes, characters, or time periods. To fill the void, I do what I always do when there's something lacking in my life. I go to the Internet. I've found various blogs and show reviews where I've collected various people's opinions. Man, I have no clue what people must have done before the Internet. I'm sure people had things to say about Eugene when he showed up! Who did they whine to when they were depressed about Whit's departure to the Middle East? What did they think of Jack and Jason's appearences and where did they express their opinions? I guess people just wrote angry letters to Focus and stored them in their Trapper Keepers until they mailed them or whatever. Back when people used the US Postal System. *rolls eyes* Oh, those simple fools of the late 80s and early 90s.

Where was I? Oh yeah, favorite things about Odyssey. Well, one question you find on the message boards is "What is the best era of Odyssey?"

Dividing up Odyssey into eras is a difficult task and it can be done in a number of ways. It can be divided up by arcs, writers, decades, ect. I just list my favorite years. My favorite years are 92-97. I say this because almost all my favorite episodes are in those years. If you list my favorite episodes and put the air date with them, the most common dates fall between 92 and 97. Not all the episodes are apart of this though.

•First Love. (First aired April 21, 1990).

This is a great episode because it is the first time Odyssey deals with being in love with an unbeliever and because it places Connie on a more adult path. Plus, I love episodes about love. (On a side note, I love that the guy who plays the boyfriend of Cheryl is Steve Burns who ended up playing Mitch. But I'm sure you all knew that)

•Someone To Watch Over Me. (First aired February 9, 1991)

This is a classic episode. First time listening, I was liking the episode until about halfway through and then I realized that this wasn't a lighthearted adventure episode. There was a deeper meaning to the episode. To this day, that episode brings tears to my eyes. All around well done.

•Malachi's Message (First aired September 12, 1998)

This one is a no brainer. It has the best characters and I love situations that bring out everyone's inner skeptics. This episode is a great and one of my top favorites.

•The Triangle 1&2 (First aired March 3, 2001)

I love episodes about Whit's past. I wish there were more of them. Who else here likes the relationship between Whit, Jack, and Jenny? I can imagine them just hanging out, playing cards or whatever and talking about random things. It'd be great. I wish there were more episodes with them in it.

•Silent Night (First aired December 17, 2005)

Another episode about the Whittaker family history! What more is there to say? Whit and Jenny's relationship is sweet. I love them together. I wanna hear more about them. Plus, the Whittaker kids are totes fabuloso.

•Here Am I. (Off The Truth Chronicles Album)

One of the best episodes when it comes to important lessons. It's one of the more philosophical ones but it isn't confusing. I can see why some people wouldn't like it because it only has Connie and Whit in it. Plus the whole thing is a dream and I know that many people hate "it was all a dream" plots. Still, the concept of absolute truth is generally not accepted by modern society. I appreciate how AIO took a stand on it because it, in turn, helped solidify my beliefs. It also made me interested in philosophy and worldview. It's a phenomanal episode.

In conclusion, no matter what era you prefer, Odyssey has been making fantastic episodes for the past 25 years. I'm excited for the next season and all the good episodes we'll hear.  

Leave your own opinions in the comments! I'd love to hear them.

AIO Characters on Facebook

Hello, people. I know it's been a while. (I've been busy with school and such) I was thinking a little more about my last post about Odyssey tweets. I wondered what would happen if we moved that to Facebook. Let me warm you people that I'm not that funny nor am I good at editing photos. (So why am I doing this? No idea. Guess I'm bored since I'll have no episodes to review till next fall.) Anyway, enjoy!

Classy, Whit. 

There goes Eugene breaking the fourth wall. 

I'll try to write more and edit photos less.

AIO Characters on Twitter

I only follow 8 people on Twitter and two of them wouldn't stop talking about the recent election. I get enough of politics at school so I unfollowed them. So, I started searching for other people to follow. Eventually, I came to the realization that there's no one cool to follow on Twitter.

Celebrities are so not cool. I don't care what they have to say. But you know who's thoughts I'd care about? Odyssey characters.

Then I started thinking about funny tweets that our favorite characters may come up with.

I am the worst when it comes to editing pictures and I don't have Photoshop so my attempts at creating these examples are pretty pathetic. Here's what I came up with:

I wish my sense of humor and photo editing skills were better...

If you guys come up with any better looking/funnier ones, email them to me!

Three Dollars More Review

Note: Thank you to Ben Warren because his reviews are incredibly helpful to me. I'm sure you all feel the same way about him. Just in case you don't know about his website, here it is: http://aio-thechangingtimes.blogspot.com/

Lately, I've been a little busy and haven't been keeping up with Odyssey like I normally do. Well, last Saturday, when I got up and had breakfast, I decided that I was gonna listen to this new Odyssey episode. I dragged my stereo into the bathroom, plugged my iPod touch into it, started playing the new episode off the website, and took a shower. This was a good way to start off a Saturday. 

The story starts off at Whit's End. 

No way. Didn't see that coming.

 Barrett comes into the shop and we find out that he skipped out on his offering because he wanted a video game or something. His reasoning behind it was "the church isn't gonna suffer because it's only three dollars". 

I've been there before. Now I feel awkward... 

Speaking honestly, I have often skipped out on tithing because I wanted some clothes or shoes so I know where Barrett is coming from. But Barrett takes this reasoning a step further by saying that he's gonna stop tithing altogether. Matthew, who just finished making a Room of Consequence program, wants to teach Barrett the error of his ways so he sends him on a ROC adventure. 

Matthew's program told Barrett that if he didn't tithe, the church would crumble and society would quickly plunge into a dystopian world. 

Barrett is irritated by this message so Connie tries to patch things up and whips up her own ROC program. (Writing a computer program is that easy? Why is Connie still working at Whit's End? She should go into computer science or programing! Be Eugene's teaching assistant!) Connie's program paints the story of an underprivileged boy who was almost sent to Bible camp but couldn't because Barrett didn't give his pathetic three dollars! Barrett wasn't a fan of this program and just as he's about to angrily storm out, Whit swoops in and calms everyone down. He makes a third program and Barrett goes on another adventure. Whit's program tells the simple story of Barrett becoming a stingy jerk because he refuses to give out his money. 

I like this episode because the writers are really getting back to the old school Odyssey episodes that tackle simple morals and biblical truths. That pleases me. Of course, there were a few things that we're a bit troubling. 

Odyssey reviewer extraordinaire Ben Warren (my spirit animal) points out that all the programs were good reasons to tithe but there should have been a program that talked about the number 1 reason for why we tithe. We tithe out of obedience to Jesus. To quote BTV: Obedience, "Obedience is a result of trust, born of the hope that the person we trust is the best person to be obeyed..." And in John 14:15, Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments". 

To the writer's credit, Whit tells Barrett that the main reason why we tithe is out of obedience to God. My question (and Ben Warren's question) is why didn't Whit's program talk about that instead of turning Barrett into a Scrooge-esque figure? 

In my opinion, tithing is a difficult subject to tackle and the writers did a decent job of covering it. It was a good reminder to me to give my money more frequently to church. I'm still listening, Odyssey. Your episodes and lessons (as imperfect as they sometimes are) still apply to my daily life and are a blessing.  

The Perfect Church

The modern Christian church is composed of many of denominations and there seem to be a number of disagreements among these denominations and even inside the churches. Have you ever wondered why that is? Why do churches have to act like that? Can't we all just chill out and get along? I'm sure that the Christians of the past didn't act like this!

I know I've though this before. I'm sure some of you have to. Well, apparently, Matthew Parker also thinks about these things. He comes into Whit's End and pretty much tells Whit that he's not gonna go to church anymore because people at his church are stupid and making church not cool. He just wants to go to church and worship God. Why are people messing that up with all their drama? 

I totally understand what Matthew is talking about. 

Matthew tells Whit he wishes modern churches would be more like the early church in Acts. That'd be...perfect.

Yes. I want my church to be like this

Whit decides to show Matthew that the early church was NOT perfect. Matthew goes for an Imagination Station ride and meets a family and we go through the first part of Acts like Pentecost, the Ananias and Saphira fiasco, and Steven's death. During this two part adventure, Matthew witnesses a lot of problems that the early church had. There were quarrels between the Christians about letting Gentiles join plus the Pharisees had it in for the early church.

That's not really my idea of perfection.

This was a great episode. It had a classic Odyssey feel. We were back in the Imagination Station, having an adventure in the Bible.

Rhoda and her family were good parts of the story. While they weren't mentioned in the book of Acts, it's plausible that there was a family like theirs who lived through all these events in Acts. I liked them. Plus, Matthew needed people like them to act off of and ask questions to.

Who else loved Eugene's random definitions? I wish I had that in ordinary life. I would use it so much in the course of my school day.

I think my favorite scene was Stephen's sermon to the Pharisees. It was a powerful scene. It was one of the most theological scenes in Odyssey history. For a while now, I've been thinking that Odyssey is going down a fluffy Christianity path. I didn't think they'd approach any deep faith matters. This episode proves me wrong. The season appears to be proving me wrong. Good work, writers. 

At the end of the episode, Matthew has realized that the early church was NOT perfect. He has also decided that he isn't gonna give up on church. We all have to realize that, even though the church is an institution of God, it isn't perfect. Humans are sinful but God still uses us for his glory. I'm glad Whit communicated that clearly. It's something we should never forget.     

Note: I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time! This school thing isn't fun. I'll try to be more regular with my posts. 

A Retraction

When you get older, you get more conscious of what you write and say out loud. I'm getting more and more aware of this everyday. My last post was a rant about how Odyssey was put on iTunes but you couldn't buy any individual episodes. Well, it's been about a week or so since I posted and almost all the episodes have been individualized. Of course I found this out AFTER I posted my rant. 

Don't look at me

Thanks for this guilt trip, Focus. Well played...

I recant! I guess I was too impatient and should have just sit back and let things happen. I'm sorry for jumping the gun and talking bad about Focus. I should have been more patient and waited a bit longer to see if the episodes would be individualized. 

Here's a picture of bunnies to make up for everything.

 
Just so you guys know, I plan to spend as much money as possible on these episodes. I've already bought several.
   
     •Pamela Has a Problem
     •The Price of Freedom
     •The Top Floor 1,2,3
     •Prequels of Love

I've loved listening to all of these episodes. They're great and I love having them on my iPod. I listen to them on the bus in the morning, when I'm in study hall, when I'm on a walk, or when I'm just relaxing at home. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful to FOTF for making the episodes more available to me. Even if the episodes weren't individualized, I'd still be grateful. I may have seemed like I had a bad attitude in my last post but in the long run, I'm just happy that Odyssey exists.

Adventures in Odyssey on iTunes

A few years ago, you could buy episodes of AIO on iTunes. I didn't find this out for a while but when I did, I was very happy and managed to horde some money away and buy some episodes. (This was a few years ago so I'm not sure where I got this money from...) I bought 33 episodes. This may seem like a large number but I quickly listened to all the episodes. Then, one day, all the episodes disappeared off the store. (Mind you, not the episodes I bought but all the ones on the store)

Then, about a month ago, I read that Odyssey was coming back to iTunes. I've been keeping a close watch on iTunes and checking regularly. They're now back on! 

Oh wait...the episodes are only available in album form. This means you can't buy individual episodes. 

Come on!

If I was gonna buy a whole album, I'd buy a hard copy at my local Christian book store! The reason why I was so excited about AIO coming back to iTunes was the thought of buying individual episodes. I'm mad! I have money in my iTunes account that is begging to be spent and I don't have any Odyssey to spend it on! Odyssey is on the top of my list of stuff to buy on iTunes but I want to buy other stuff! Dang it, Focus! Now I have a predicament. 

My one hope is that the episodes are eventually gonna be individualized. You can buy the episodes from album 1 individually so maybe the rest of the albums will follow suit.  I don't see why they wouldn't. I'd be economically wise for Focus to do so because I think people are more likely to buy a few episodes rather than a whole album. I'm gonna keep my money in reserve and see what happens. Hopefully, we will eventually be able to buy the single episodes. 

Happy Hunting Review

*Spoilers for Album 56*

You wouldn't believe how excited I was when I found out that they were releasing a new episode early. I was so happy. 

  

I kind of looked like this. Except less awesome

Let's give this plot a quick summary. After a difficult day at work, Penny asks Connie how Connie stays so happy all the time. Connie is surprised by this comment. She claims that she's not happy all the time but often times, happiness is a choice. This comment sticks with Penny. Penny comes up with several ways she can choose happiness. First, she chose to buy a pair of cute boots to get some happiness. That doesn't work.

I don't know about Penny but if I got these, I'd be walking around the neighborhood whistling and singing "Don't Worry, Be Happy"

Then she tries running because exercise produces endorphins and endorphins make you happy. This backfires because she tripped down a hill and broke a few ribs because she ran in her new shoes. 

They all go back to Connie and Penny's apartment and Wooten offers to make dinner. He makes salmon by Penny's request because she read that salmon is full of Omega 3s. Apparently Wooten is quite a good cook. Penny ends up having an allergic reaction to the meal. (She'd never had salmon before) Penny ends up going back to the hospital. 

Penny then drags Connie to a happiness support group. (This is kind of a throwback to the Happy Smilers) Connie hates the group and is unhappy. Connie is becoming exasperated by Penny's pursuits of happiness because her positive attitude is annoying. Whit points out that thinking positively has roots in Scripture. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) Whit then makes the point that the quest of happiness can often be selfish because it focuses on ourselves. Penny then quickly draws the conclusion that to be happy means she must volunteer. Whit tries to correct her but Penny quickly runs with the whole volunteer idea. Somehow, Penny can make volunteering at a homeless shelter dangerous. She managed to dislocate her shoulder when she slipped and fell.

She's been to the hospital more times than I've gone in the past 5 years

Here's the part of the show where Whit comes along and sets everybody straight. This is the part of the show that I've been waiting for. Whit says that Penny had the wrong expectations about happiness. He says that happiness is only an emotion that lasts a short time. Penny counters by saying that she thought God wanted us to be happy. Whit explains that kind of happiness (happiness with joy and peace) can only be found in a relationship with him. Whit further says God has given us a number of things in our life to bring us happiness. Mainly, we have his love and forgiveness but we also have a beautiful world, family, and friends. If we focus on those things, happiness will be there. 

Let me say this, I loved this episode. I love Connie, Penny, and Wooten together. They are so enjoyable to listen to. The dialogue was quick and funny. I thought Wooten and Penny were both great. Penny feels like she's been on the show for a long time. Andre did a fantastic job as Whit. He's now really starting to sound like he's getting the hang on Whit. This was such a classic sounding Odyssey episode except for one thing; the message was about as watered down as you could get. 

At the end, I thought Whit was gonna come in a explain to everyone the problems with their thinking. Well, he did. He just left a big part out. It was a pretty important part. 

Whit was right in saying that happiness was only a temporary emotion. Happiness is the feeling you get when you buy a new pair of shoes, if your favorite song comes on the radio, or if you get an early released episode of Adventures in Odyssey. He was also right in saying that happiness combined with peace and joy is what we get from a relationship with God. He even mentioned one thing that gives us that special kind of happiness is God's love and forgiveness. Then we moved right along. 

Look, there was nothing wrong with what Whit said. He just could have said a lot more. 

Alright, John Avery, explain to me why God's love should make me happy. And why should forgiveness give me joy? Is it that important? 

Of course his forgiveness is important! You are beyond sinful and God demands perfection. Nothing can save you from your depravity except Jesus Christ- the perfect son of God. God, in his infinite love and mercy, gave up Jesus to take on your sins and give you his righteousness. You are now pure in God's sight. Why would God give his son for you? You didn't deserve it. What you deserved was an eternity in hell and isolation from God. God did it because he loves you. 

Let's just take a moment and appreciate how amazing that it. 

That's the Gospel and that is what gives you a combination of happiness, joy, and peace. 

I'm not sure when AIO started weakening the Gospel. I doubt it started with the reboot. I'm sure we can trace it back farther. Maybe it's always been a bit weak. I don't know, but I'm saddened when I hear such a missed opportunity like that. I've been to churches where they mention the name Jesus and they mention love but there's nothing more. You have to tell the whole story to get the point. My dad says if you aren't getting the whole gospel when you go to church, you might as well stay home and sleep in. 

The writers really scored when it came to the story, dialogue, and characters. If they can manage to start writing the Gospel back into the story, then I can see AIO going on for many more years. 

The Three Faces of Whit

This one's for you, Old Judge. 

25 years and 3 different actors for Whit. He is the only long term character the crew keeps replacing. Why is that? Well, it's accurate to say Whit is the most important character on the show. The show's setting is Whit's End and Whit is the main character. He's offers advice to those who need it, he invents crazy stuff, he can talk with anyone, and he puts curly q's on top of ice cream cones. He's a unique, integral part of the show.

Now, let's go back to 1994. Hal Smith, the beloved voice of Whit, suddenly passed away. The fans mourned while the crew scrambled to try and figure out what to do. Either they had to kill off Whit, drop his character, or find a new actor. To buy themselves some time, the writers sent Eugene and Bernard on a road trip. While Eugene and Bernard were gallivanting across the country, the crew was searching for a new voice for Whit. They came up with nothing so they went with plan B; they sent him off to the Middle East on an archaeological mission. He was gone for over 2 years. In his absence, they wrote in Jack Allen (a wise, old friend of Whit) and Jason Whittaker (Whit's adventerous, inventing son). Jack and Jason were a fantastic addition to the show but fans missed Whit. The crew eventually found a guy out in Seattle named Paul Herlinger. Paul Herlinger's voice resembled Hal Smith's. They hired him and brought Whit back in the episode "Search for Whit". Paul Herlinger was the voice of Whit for 12 years. (I should note that Hal Smith was only the voice of Whit for 7 years) Paul retired in 2008 during the hiatus. The writers were again faced with finding another voice for Whit. They got Andre Stojka and he's been doing the voice of Whit for 3 years.

It's difficult for me to choose a favorite  "Whit". There's a lot of things to take into consideration.

Hal Smith was the original. Even though I only started listening to Odyssey in 2006ish, I got a hold of most of the classic episodes. (On cassettes. Party like it's 1987) I would drag my dad's old boom box (made in the former Soviet Union) into my room, plug in my headphones, and would curl up under a blanket to listen to those cassettes. Those are some of my best memories. Hal Smith's voice brings me back to those memories. I'm sure you guys have had similar experiences. Hal has a very warm voice. You feel like he isn't playing a character. You feel like he's that kind and grandfatherly in real life. I love that. 

Paul Herlinger stepped into a dangerous position when he took on the voice of Whit. I'm not sure what the fans were saying because message boards weren't around at that time but I figure they weren't happy. It's understandable. Paul Herlinger and Hal Smith's voices are not identical. Although, in my opinion, Paul quickly proved himself to be a great Whit. The episode Clara gave emotion to Paul's Whit and further developed Whit's character. Whit went through a lot in Paul's 12 years of Odyssey. Paul's Whit interacted and formed relationships with Jack and Jason, mentored Eugene, watched Connie grow up, dealt with the Novacom fiasco and gave advice to a whole new generation of kids (actually, two/two and a half). I love Paul. He's in a lot of my favorite episodes and he's an excellent actor. 

Andre Stojka must have had a death wish. I never would take up the role of a beloved character after the previous actor had been acting that part for 12 years. One could say that Paul Herlinger was equally crazy but let me remind you that he took on the role before message boards and fan websites. Back then, if you really wanted to complain, you would have had to write a letter to Focus. That's a lot of work and people are lazy. Nowadays, all you have to do is hop on your computer and rattle off a rant about Stojka online. 

This is so going on my blog

 Normally, I try to listen to people's arguments and respect their opinions. This is the one argument I get tired of hearing. People have got to stop complaining about Stojka. Look people, it's too bad that you don't like his voice but I don't see how whining about it is gonna solve your personal dilemma. You see, you can't complain about something that no one can control. The listener can't control who voices Whit and the writers had no choice but to find a new voice. I'm sorry that they couldn't find the vocal twin of Paul but y'all gotta let go and move on. 

As for my opinion of Andre, I like him. I can't say I love him yet but I respect him and I have a feeling that he will one day come into his own. I know this much; I like him a lot more than when I listened to albums 51 and 52. I believe that's a combination of good writing and talented acting. Nice work, everyone. 

That leaves the final question. Who is my favorite Whit? That question doesn't make sense. Whit is Whit. Sure, he's had several voices but the character doesn't change. Who is Whit? Whit is a veteran, archaeologist, a father, a writer, a trusted friend, an inventor, and most importantly a strong Christian man. No matter who's voicing him, he is still that man. 

Plot Twists

*There will be SPOILERS for Odyssey episodes that have been released and novel Jane Eyre*

Who doesn't love a great plot twist? People eat that kind of stuff up. Think of one of your favorite books or movies. Did it have at least one plot twist that surprised you? 

Take, for example, the book Jane Eyre. Anybody know the big plot twist in that book? The dude who Jane is interested in has a crazy wife locked in the attic. 

When was that book written?

Odyssey is guilty of using the plot twist device as well. Let's look at some examples. 

Last in a Long Line is a classic episode that explored Eugene's history. Eugene's parents died in Africa when he was a child, he found his father's name on a tombstone in a local cemetery, and he managed to track down his grandfather in Connellsville. Plot twist: Bernard is a long lost cousin of Eugene. 

Name Not a Number is when this new character Jason is about to leave for Odyssey to start running his dad's shop. He makes a detour for Switzerland to save his hot friend Tasha from terrorists. Plot twist: Dr. Blackgaard is working for the good guys. Second plot twist: No, he's not. And he faked his death. 

Darkness Before Dawn Saga: Odyssey is being terrorized by vandalism while Glossman is trying to get Tom out of office. As if running a recall isn't enough work, Glossman shuts down Whit's End. Plot twist: Blackgaard is behind it all and wants world domination. 

Novacom: I'm not gonna try and summarize this. Here's the major plot twist: Robert Mitchell is dead. Second plot twist: Nope. Never mind.

"Finding Eugene's Dad Saga": This whole story was one plot twist after another. Plot twist: Eugene's dad is alive. Second plot twist: Eugene has a younger brother who was kidnapped when he was a baby. There was more craziness but those were the big ones. 

Green Ring Conspiracy: There's a counterfeit scheme in Odyssey and some guy named the Stiletto is one of the people behind it. Plot twist: The Stiletto is Jason Whittaker. 

Alright, so AIO has done this a number of times. We can also see that they've been using this more and more in recent years. For the most part, people love this. Although I have heard people complaining about plot twists and how they can be cliche and soap opera-ish. 

I can say with confidence that Odyssey has never strayed into the R. Kelly hip-hopera zone

Lot's of people complain but what about me? Well, I like where AIO is currently at on the drama meter. Not too much, not too little. I've said this before and I'll say it again; the writers do a good job balancing out the show. There's serious episodes and there's fun, light episodes. While I'm amazed at some of the drama that have happened over the years, it doesn't bother me because in the end, Odyssey is still pretty close to reality. And that's what we're all listening for, right? We like the cool episodes with all the intrigue and twists and turns but what keeps us listening is the warm, comfortable feeling we get when the little bell tinkles over the door at Whit's End and you hear Connie or Whit. That's why we stay and that's why we keep listening.